Soil Stabilization Methods:

Chemical vs. Geogrid

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Comparing Soil
Stabilization Methods

Soils with low shear strength, high

compressibility, and shrink/swell
behavior are common problems for
roadway construction and for long
term project performance. When
choosing a soil stabilization method
for solving these problems, upfront
construction costs, time and feasibility
of installation, and durability of the
solution are key considerations
to keep in mind. Chemical and
geosynthetic soil stabilization are
often used in these situations: how
do they match up in a head-to-head
comparison?

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U
niversity of Kansas’s geotechnical
engineering professor, Dr. Jie Han,
recently published an article in Geostrata
magazine that summarized the benefits
for using chemical stabilization and
geosynthetic stabilization for
in-situ soils and the practicality
of implementing each method
on a job site. Based on his
comparison, geosynthetics
seem to have an advantage in
multiple situations, because they
could speed up construction and
reduce material costs. Geosynthetics
as a category include many different products
to enhance the engineering properties of
soil, so seeking guidance for your specific
stabilization needs is highly recommended. In
this publication, we compiled available data to
summarize the pros and cons of using chemical
stabilization methods compared with Tensar
geogrids, the most advanced geosynthetic for
soil stabilization. Before we dive in, let’s first
define chemical and geogrid stabilization for
those who are unfamiliar:
CHEMICAL STABILIZATION refers to the
method by which cementitious materials such
as lime, Portland cement, or fly ash are used to
chemically alter the composition of the in-situ
soil to improve its mechanical properties. When
this process takes place, soil particles are bound
together, which ultimately increases their shear
strength and load distribution ability.
GEOGRID MECHANICAL STABILIZATION
refers to the method by which
multiaxial geogrids are used in
conjunction with well-graded
angular fill material to create a
stable working surface over soft and
unsuitable in-situ soils. A multiaxial
geogrid used for stabilization has
openings called apertures which allow
the particles of the granular material to strike
through and interlock. As particles interlock with
the geogrid, they become laterally restrained
and obtain a higher degree of confinement.
The composite system created by combining
compacted well-graded granular fill materials and
multiaxial geogrid for stabilization is known as a
Mechanically Stabilized Layer (MSL). The MSL is
significantly stiffer than an unbound aggregate
layer because soil particle movement under
applied loads is restricted. This improvement
in stiffness can be quantified with performance
validation testing and later applied to the design.
Roads, both paved and unpaved, are primary
applications for stabilization geogrids.
Now that we have a clear definition of
each method, let’s see what happens
when they go head-to-head during
various phases of a project.
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 PRE- CON STRUC TION
regarding the two methods. Beyond upfront
Soil Types material expense, with chemical stabilization
there is also potential uncertainty in the
It’s important to know the composition
quantities of chemicals required. What would
of the soil since that will determine the type
happen if the expected application rate of the
of treatment that can be applied. Chemical
chemical stabilization agent doesn’t achieve
stabilization can be used for most types of soils,
the required results? There are also several
except for organic or sulfate-rich soils. Of course,
installation costs mentioned in the next section
soils are often variable across your job sites, so
to consider.
the first challenge with chemical treatment is
making sure you have a full understanding of With geogrid stabilization, uncertainty related
what types of soils are present. Soils will require to soil chemistry is eliminated. Stabilization
lab testing to determine compatibility prior to with Tensar geogrids uses established design
construction, and based on the results, the mix methods and performance testing making
design for chemical stabilization would quantities virtually certain, so you know up
be developed. front what your total cost will be. Our higher-
performing geogrids also allow you to use
Geogrid stabilization can be used over any
less aggregate to achieve the same results,
type of in-situ subgrade soil and with any type
translating to lower material costs and less
of granular fill materials, with the exception
dependence on raw material suppliers.
of a few fill materials that are very rounded or
that exceed a fines content of 10% by weight.
The MSL design provides a stable working
surface based on the strength of the subgrade,
the strength of the granular material, and the
expected trafficking loads that it will carry.
Tensar geogrids are backed by decades of
experience and extensive, full-scale performance
testing, so determining the right solution is clear
and straightforward.

Cost
The factors that determine the costs include:
• Unit costs of the materials used
• Quantities of the materials used
• Cost of QA & QC by an external laboratory to
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
assess successful chemical stabilization
• Cost of the labor and equipment needed Getting the highest performing
for installation solution for the budget and minimizing
These factors are all site and product specific so risks are top priorities when choosing
it’s difficult to make a generalized comparison between these stabilization methods.
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PRE- CON STRUC TION

PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT

State Route 2
Lake County, Ohio

Cement stabilization was initially used on this project,

however, heaving failure was observed immediately
after paving in areas with high sulfate soils. Tensar
geogrid was selected to stabilize these areas where
cement stabilization had failed. It was also selected
to stabilize ramps to avoid risking consequences of
encountering more high sulfate soils.

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 CONSTRUC TION
precautions when working with lime to avoid
Climate/Weather severe irritation of the skin, lungs, eyes and
mouth. Chemicals can have a negative impact
Hours and days lost to bad weather are a
on the nearby environment so it’s important to
serious concern. Certain weather conditions
prevent migration from the treated areas into air
must be met for chemical stabilization since
or water.
wet or cold weather can affect performance. A
temperature of 40° F or higher is required for the
Specialized equipment and labor are not
chemical reactions to take place. Also, chemical
required to install geogrid although workers
treatments can’t be applied during wet weather.
should wear gloves and basic eye protection. The
geogrid is rolled out directly onto the subgrade
Installation of Tensar geogrid is not dependent
followed by placing granular fill and then
on temperature and can be deployed even when
compaction. The site is immediately accessible
a worksite is saturated. In fact, contractors often
to construction traffic, so projects keep moving.
find that installing Tensar geogrids is one of the
few tasks which can continue when the weather
turns rainy.

Equipment, Installation and Site Access

Chemical stabilization requires specialized
equipment to apply the chemicals to the soil and
mix them to the desired depth. Once applied,
time is required for the chemical reaction to
take place, during which the area must be left
undisturbed. Lime, for example, undergoes a
mellowing period from one to seven days, then
the soil is remixed, graded, and compacted in
place. OSHA requires that workers take safety

CONSTRUCTION
Construction delays and unexpected
costs are problems on any project site.
What are some of the considerations to
keep in mind when choosing between
chemical and geosynthetic stabilization?
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CONSTRUC TION

PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT

Northpointe Subdivision
Plainfield, IL

A contractor encountered soft soils during

excavation of a subdivision. Due to cold weather, the
Village of Plainfield did not allow lime stabilization
after October 15th. A solution using Tensar geogrid
required no undercut to stabilize the subgrade and
allowed construction of the pavement section to
continue despite the cold weather.

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CONSTRUC TION

PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT

Roadway Interchange
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After heavy rain, a project in Oklahoma City saw Tensar geogrid

reduce overall construction time in addition to increasing
pavement life. Switching to geogrid shaved off several days
of construction time which would have been spent waiting for
chemical stabilization treatment to cure. Instead, the contractor
was able to place the aggregate and test for compaction in
the same day, which meant less time waiting around to install
asphalt, and less inconvenience for motorists. For a high-traffic
intersection in Oklahoma’s most populous city, this was precious
time saved without compromising on design life.

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 POST- CON STRUC TION

Darlington Road three

years post-construction

POST-CONSTRUCTION
Long-term Performance Take for example the Darlington Road project
in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. In 2018, a
Improved long-term performance for roads
full depth reclamation of the road was done using
lowers life-cycle costs, and minimizes the
cement stabilization. Just three years later, the
frequency of closures for repairs. Proper design
road is already in desperate need of repair. The
and construction are required to account
photo above was taken in 2021 and shows asphalt
for freeze-thaw cycles, moisture variations,
cracking, base failure and premature rutting.
and shrinkage cracking effects on long- term
performance. Chemical stabilization deteriorates
Geogrid-stabilized soils are less susceptible
over time as precipitation and groundwater
to freeze-thaw damage, shrink/swell effects,
gradually leach the chemicals out of the soil.
and strength reduction due to excess moisture.
Some studies have shown that premature
Decades of in-ground full-scale performance
failures of chemically treated subgrades
testing, and extensive research from the US
happened for one of two reasons: either the
Army Corps of Engineers and other reputable
chemical additive lost its effectiveness over time,
universities and engineering institutions, have
or it was ineffective for that specific soil.
proven that Tensar geogrid significantly extends
the life of paved and unpaved roads and reduces
maintenance costs.

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 POST- CONSTRUC TION

PROJECT
SPOTLIGHT Lake Avenue
Buffalo, NY

The Erie County Department of Public Works (DPW) had to completely reconstruct nearly
2 miles of Lake Avenue located just outside Buffalo. This road, originally constructed in the
1970s, had poor subbase materials and subgrade drainage
that led to degraded asphalt. Erie County has very thick
standard pavement sections and they wanted to avoid
deep undercuts for this project. A Tensar geogrid design
COSTS
was proposed to address the issues of soft subgrades and REDUCED
optimize the pavement design. The base layer of geogrid
was used to stabilize these very soft soils and helped the APPROX.
county avoid expensive and time-consuming excavation and
removal costs. The upper layer of geogrid helped reduce
$1 MILLION
the overall pavement section thickness and provided an
extended life expectancy of the road. Costs were reduced
by approximately $1 million compared to traditional construction methods. The Erie County
DPW won the 2015 Transportation Project of the Year award given by the American Public
Works Association.

As of February of 2022, the asphalt still looks like new after nearly six years of extremely
harsh winters and it hasn’t been resurfaced once. The Lake Avenue project in Orchard Park,
New York is a great example of both the cost savings and resiliency pavement designers can
expect with geogrid stabilization.

Lake Ave. before Lake Ave. seven years

construction in 2015 post-construction

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RESEARCH
SPOTLIGHT

Ingios Geotechnics completed testing of three pavement sections

along Cabeza Road in 2014 and then again in 2015. Two Tensar
geogrid stabilized sections and a control section were tested. The
subgrade for all sections consisted of a cement treated subgrade (6%
nominal by dry weight).

Immediately after construction, no additional benefit was observed in

the TriAx stabilized sections. However, in 2015, after a year of weather
cycles (i.e. rain, temperature changes), the sections were again tested
and the TriAx stabilized sections were providing 2-5 times the support
compared to the control section.

In 2018, the University of Texas at Austin conducted a pavement

condition survey, which indicated that the TriAx stabilized sections had
reduced environmental cracking in the road surface compared to the
chemically stabilized control section.
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 The benefits of choosing Tensar geogrid over chemical methods
for soil stabilization have been well demonstrated for all phases of
construction. This chart gives a convenient side-by-side comparison
of the pros and cons we’ve just discussed.
CHEMICAL
STABILIZATION
Alter chemical compositions and soil
Mechanisms structures to improve soil properties
Applicable to most types of soils, except
Soil Types for organic soils and sulfate-rich soils
Increase bearing capacity and stiffness,
Benefits reduce rutting, mitigate moisture-related
distresses, and prolong road life
Soil tested in a lab for compatibility.
Mix design required based on testing
Design and validation for given soil types and
applications
Specialized equipment needed to place
Equipment Required and mix chemicals
Blend chemicals with in-place or with fill
Construction Process soils, grading, compaction, and mellowing
Temperature must exceed 40-50 F and
no rain. High water table in silts and very
fine subgrades may cause compaction
Climate/Site Concerns operations to pump water to the
surface. Environmental safeguards limit
applicability.
Must wait 3 - 7 days before the site can be
Post-Construction Traffic accessed, to allow curing to occur.
May induce shrinkage cracks and cause
Cause for Road Distress reflective cracks in asphalt pavements
Proper design and construction required
to mitigate or consider freeze-thaw, wet-
Durability dry cycle, and shrinkage cracking effects
on long- term performance
Tolerable to Differential Movement No
Difficult to recycle treated granular base
Recycling material
Environmental Possible leaching
Safety protection required during
Safety construction
Cost Site- and product-specific
TENSAR GEOGRID
Restricts particle movement to improve soil
mechanical properties and behavior
Applicable to all soil types
Increase bearing capacity and stiffness, reduce
rutting and cracking, mitigate moisture-
related distresses, and prolong road life
Backed by decades of extensive, full-scale
testing and third-party validation to design
geogrid mechanical stabilization. Site-specific
validation is not required
Standard equipment
Roll geogrid out directly on native subgrade.
Place and compact granular fill.
No restriction
Site can be accessed immediately
None
Unaffected by freeze-thaw, geogrid and granular
fill are not soluble and offer a permanent
and resilient solution. No negative effect on
permeability of granular base.
Yes
Relatively easy to recycle granular base material,
but not geosynthetic
No environmental concern
Gloves and eye protection recommended
Site- and product-specific
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AVOID UNNECESSARY
EXPENSE AND UNCERTAIN
DESIGN LIFE WITH TENSAR+
SOFTWARE

Using Tensar geogrid for soil stabilization

offers clear advantages for total installed cost
savings, ease and speed of installation and long-term performance. Tensar’s investment in research
has not only led to InterAx geogrid, the most advanced geogrid for soil stabilization, but also to the
development of our award-winning Tensar+ design software. Tensar+ allows engineers, contractors,
and owners to design with geogrid in a variety of applications, including pavements, crane pads,
soft soil stabilization, unpaved roads and marine scour protection. You can calculate the total value
of each design alternative, including chemical stabilization and other conventional methods. We’ve
incorporated the benefits of Tensar geogrids into accepted design methods, based on rigorous full-
scale testing and validated by third-party experts.
Click here to access Tensar+
software and start designing and
building with more confidence.
WITH TENSAR+, YOU CAN:

Evaluate and optimize performance of
roadways and other site works over a
variety of subgrade conditions
Easily compare design alternatives, including
geogrids and conventional construction
Access product data, research reports and
training resources
Connect through any major mobile platform
or browser and work online or offline with a
single workspace

Determine initial and life cycle cost savings,
time savings, and sustainability metrics
Generate custom specifications and reports
for your design
Print high quality visuals of your design and
expected savings to share with colleagues
or clients
Share your design with colleagues
directly from the software platform for
improved collaboration

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Have a question about a specific project?
Schedule a virtual or in-person session and
we can walk you through design scenarios.

Visit TensarCorp.com/support
to get started.

About Tensar
With Tensar, you can design and build with confidence because we
empower you to achieve cost-effective, engineered solutions. Our
industry-leading geogrid technology and other innovative products
solves the toughest soil stabilization, earth reinforcement, and site
development challenges. Through these innovations, you can create a
more resilient future because our technology is backed by decades of
research and proven performance.

From project start to project completion, we’re not afraid to get

our boots dirty. No matter where you are, you can depend on the
international Tensar team and network of distribution partners to
provide support and advice. Whether you’re building roadways,
retaining walls, railways, or foundations, we are the partner you
can depend on.

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